{NOW CLOSED} Win It: Seventh Generation Back to School Pack

Back to school also means back to sharing germs! According to a recent study, nearly 22 million school days are lost each year due to the common cold and flu. So it is natural that there is a concern about germs.

Seventh Generation is sharing tips from a familiar name for many of us, Dr. Alan Green, who is a best selling author and pediatrician. Dr. Greene suggests taking the following precautions:

Optimize the immune system

Reap the benefits of probiotics like those found in yogurt. A recent study showed that children who received enough probiotics daily throughout the cold and flu season had a significant reduction in the number of illnesses they had and, when they did get sick, the symptoms were both milder and didn’t last as long.

Be sure your child is getting plenty of vitamin D from the sun, from food, or from a supplement. (I was amazed to find out I had a Vitamin D deficiency as I thought I was pretty healthy! So now I’m taking a super supplement to help get my levels stabilized!)

Build a strong foundation. Good food, good sleep, and good physical activity all help the immune system to flourish.

Be wise about reducing unnecessary exposure to harmful germs

Teach children the key times to clean their hands in the classroom. The most important times include after sneezing, coughing or using the restroom, upon leaving “high-risk” places (recess, naptime, play stations) and before meals or snacks.

Sixty percent of teachers surveyed said that they request that parents donate disinfecting wipes to the classroom. Seventh Generation’s disinfecting wipes kill 99.99% of germs naturally using the active ingredient thyme, a component of thyme oil which is derived from the herb thyme.

Stress the importance of not touching their eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

Demonstrate to your children how to cover their mouth and nose for every cough and sneeze. This simple maneuver has spectacular results in decreasing the spread of viruses and bacteria floating about the room, waiting to be inhaled.

The Seventh Generation Wipes are probably my favorite item as they are so handy to have in the bathroom and aren’t packed full of unnecessary chemicals like other brands. I think the paper towels and tissues are a little too stiff for my liking.

@bargainbriana is giving away a @SeventhGen Back to School Cleaning Kit http://bit.ly/c8RzZD #myblogspark

4. Subscribe to my free newsletter via email or RSS. You must confirm your email subscription for it to be a valid entry. If you are already a subscriber, leave a comment letting me know you are already subscribed.

5. Place BargainBriana.com on your blogroll or place the Bargain Briana button on your sidebar.

Please leave a comment for each additional entry.

Giveaway ends 8/17 /2010 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Winner will be chosen by random. Be sure bargainbriana@gmail.com is in your safe sender list as you don’t want to miss the email if you are the chosen winner. If winner doesn’t respond to my email within 48 hours, I will pick another winner. U.S. Entries only.

Seventh Generation through My Blog Spark provided this giveaway and products to giveaway in order for me to facilitate this review. Post was written 100% by me and was not edited by the sponsor. Read more on my Disclosure Policy.

I keeep my house clean a little bit at a time. I make the kids pick up after themselves and I do the same. Instead of trying to clean everything at once, I will clean a counter one day, a floor the next, etc. It works quite well.

I try to clean one thing every day, so wipe down bathroom counter and sink one day, then straighten and clean the kitchen counters the next. That way it doesn’t feel so overwhelming to do everything at once.

Disinfecting wipes in all rooms of the house (a bit overkill perhaps, but if something comes up it’s easier if they’re already there), plus the car, and at work. If I keep up with the little things as they come up, it makes regular cleaning sooo much easier.

I like to keep hand sanitizer in the bathroom and kitchen. It comes in handy to have it in places most used. I already follow on facebook and subscribe to the email. I would love to try the Seventh Generation products. Thanks.

I make sure my kids clean up toys and their bathroom every night before bed. That way things don’t get backed up! And I plan as much as I can the night before, that way we’re not rushing. When we rush, we leave a trail of mess!

Well I have to vaccum everyday (3 Cats)LOL! I always do a quick wipedown in the kitchen and bathroom daily. Everyone has a basket to do their nitely pickup before bed. Once a week a complete clean of house and everyone pitches in to help.

I keep the high traffic areas like the kitchen, livingroom bathroom and other crevices like door handles the phone and the remote clean by disinfecting with wipes and spray every other day! I also keep my home shoe free to reduce pesticides and let major rooms like the kitchen and living air out naturally by raising the window wide open a couple times a week before the weather starts getting colder

One thing I like to do especially during the cold/flu season is hand each of the kids a disenfecting wipe and have them help wipe down all the door knobs, light switches, remotes, and so on. They have fun doing it and it gets surfaces I don’t always think about clean again.

Little bits at a time! If you are heading to the bedrooms, grab something that belongs that way. If you are going to the kitchen, bring along all dirty dishes you find on your way. This principle was drilled into me early on when I was a busperson/waiter, it is called “Two hands in, Two hands out” or in other words, your hands should always be full. This works all year round too!

I have a 2 year old so we don’t have to worry about him bringing home germs but I work as a nurse in a hospital so I am exposed and my husband works in a college dorm so he is exposed. We try to wipe down everything at least once a day and do frequent laundry! Lots of handwashing!!

I don’t do anything different during the school year than I would do any other time, but I always make sure to clean up right away and don’t leave messes all over. I do an all over good cleaning once a week too. I so far have loved all the Seventh Generation products that I have used. They have a good scent too!!

I try to clean as I go, the little things that can be done within 1 or 2 minutes like gathering dirty laundry, cleaning an area of the counter that I got dirty, or throwing away a spoiled jar of pickles!

My daughter will be starting 1st Grade :) this year and since i have to get a job & put my 3 yo into (family run) daycare, im assuming this school year will be the easiest year to keep the house clean :) We wash our hands all the time here, i love the clorox wipes, im excited to try these products :)
ƸӜƷ
.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`• ƸӜƷ

We homeschool so keeping the house clean is a special challenge. I have a list of daily/weekly chores that makes it easier. We have 5 minute “turbo clean” sessions, we pick up everything and organize until the timer goes off.

School just started for us this week. I have found in the past 4 days that it is much easier to keep the house clean when the 4 older kids are at school and I only have the 2 little ones home. I found that cleaning up right after meals saves me a lot of headache later in the day. Otherwise I am cleaning the kitchen and trying to make meals at the same time. Also I’ve been using nap time to get a good pick up of the whole house before school gets out. Then I have the kids help do a quick pick up right before daddy gets home from work so it looks nice for him. My house has never looked better. lol :D